Birthdate: Jun 2, 1988
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Awkwafina (birthname: Nora Lum) is already, in her early thirties, a trailblazer for Asian and Asian American performers and actors, first establishing herself as a rap artist (a genre in which Asian female performers in the U.S. are rare) and then as a serious, acclaimed actor, ranging from comedies to dramas to animation. Awkwafina’s unprecedented profile has made her a deeply influential performer for young people, especially young Asian Americans aspiring for a show business career.
Awkwafina is a classically-trained musician and jazz trumpet player.r Awkwafina launched her professional career as a rap artist and comic performer. Awkwafina broke into movies in small roles in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016) and Warner Bros.’s animated feature, Storks (2016).
Awkwafina had her breakthrough year in 2018, with attention-getting turns in Ocean’s Eight (2018) and the mega-hit Crazy Rich Asians (2018) opposite Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, and Gemma Chan.
Akwafina accomplished an unexpected turn into affecting dramatic territory within the central role in Lulu Wang’s acclaimed Chinese family saga, The Farewell (2019). Awkwafina has exploited her strong and distinctive vocal skills for a prolific number of animated projects, including The Angry Birds 2 (2019), The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020), Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon (2021):, DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys (2022) Illumination’s and Universal’s Migration (2023), DreamWorks Animation’s and Universal’s Kung Fu Panda (2024), and Laika’s stop-motion Wildwood (2025), as well as multiple voice roles in the live-action/animation fantasy comedy from director/writer/producer/co-star John Krasinski, If (2024).
Awkwafina’s live-action work has been similarly busy, including the Jumanji sequel, The Next Level (2019) with Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart; Disney’s box-office hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021); Rob Marshall’s live-action remake for Disney of The Little Mermaid (2023); the Nicolas Cage-starring Renfield (2023), and director/producer Paul Feig’s action comedy, Grand Death Lotto (date to be announced), with Awkwafina starring opposite John Cena, Simu Liu, Seann William Scott, and Dolly de Leon.
Awkwafina was born Nora Lum. Her mother was the South Korean painter Tia Lum (who died when she was four) and her father was Wally Lum. Raised in the New York suburb of Forest Hills, Awkwafina attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she studied classical music and jazz. She studied Mandarin at the Beijing Language and Culture University and graduated with a BA in journalism and women’s studies from SUNY Albany. While attending SUNY, she interned at Albany’s Times Union daily newspaper and at the Gotham Gazette.
Nominee, Emmy Awards, Best Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series (2023); Winner, Best Actress—Comedy or Musical, Golden Globes Award (2020); Winner, Best Actress, Gotham Independent Film Award (2019); Nominee, Best Character Voice-Over Performance-Motion Picture, NAACP Image Awards (2022); Two-time Nominee, Best Comedic Performance/Breakthrough Performance, MTV Movie + TV Awards (2019); Winner, Best Ensemble, National Board of Review Awards (2018); Winner, Virtuoso Award, Santa Barbara Film Festival Awards (2020); Nominee, Outstanding Cast Performance in a Motion Picture, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2019).
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Critics Choice Award
Critics Choice Awards
Golden Globe
Golden Globes, USA
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First: Awkwafina is the first female actor of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe Award.
Day Jobs: Awkwafina worked as a PR assistant for the publishing house, Rodale.
Alter Ego: She adopted the stage name “Awkwafina” at age 16 as a way of embracing her self-admitted awkward, but bolder and more outgoing self.
Ethnicity: Awkwafina is of Korean and Chinese ancestry.
Young Start: Awkwafina began to rap at age 13 in 2001, and made a viral video, “My Vag,” in 2012, in response to Mickey Avalon’s “My Dick.”
Music Maven: Awkwafina studied violin at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Influences: Awkwafina has remarked that her key creative influences are Joan Didion, Anais Nin, Chet Baker, Tom Waits, and Charles Bukowski.
New Yorker Guide: Awkwafina has written a New York City guidebook titled Awkwafina’s NYC.
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